Homeworld: The Galactic Cleansing
by The Reason Unsaid
Summary: The Hiigarans and the Taiidan Republic fight a war with the Raiders, the Beast, and the Imperialists.
1. Chapter 1: The Pilot

I do not own Homeworld or anything to do with it, except for a copy of the game. I do, however, consider the main character, Marlow, as my own because I thought him up myself. Any other new characters are also mine.  
  
Homeworld: The Galactic Cleansing  
  
Location: Edge of the Garden of Kadesh Time: 5:03 pm The Imperialist Heavy Cruiser Nish Morro (Red Meteor)  
  
It was always that same old routine. Patrol an area of the Galaxy for signs of Hiigaran presence and then return to dock, only to hyperspace to another area and patrol. Lieutenant Marlow was beginning to get tired of doing this, but at least it was almost time to go. He moved his scout around the debris cloud and sped into it. He looked around but it was always the same thing. The Nish Morro had the worst luck of never finding a single enemy. Marlow was about to return to the ship when suddenly, a small white ship sped out of the huge nebula in front of him. It took several looks around and sped back into the nebula. Suddenly, it occured to Marlow that this was what he was waiting for all along. He got on his intercom and notified the Morro.  
  
"Attention. This is Lieutenant Marlow. I'm located fifty kilometers to the left of the ship. I have spotted a white ship, fighter class, moving around the area. I think it may be a scout. Wait." He looked off in the distance. A huge ship that resembled a needle was coming out of the nebula. It launched about twenty of the white fighters as well as tan colored ones and several egg shaped craft. They were flying straight towards the Nish Morro but they didn't seem to see it.  
  
"Marlow to home base," he said hurriedly. "A huge swarm of fighters is heading straight for you. They're accompanied by a huge needle ship. I'm returning to base. Have my attack bomber ready."  
  
Marlow pulled the throttle on his scout and it bolted straight for the ship. As he was speeding along, he was spotted by a tan fighter and it rushed towards him. It began to fire and it hit one of his engines.  
  
"Damn," he said as he lost his velocity. He then opened a panel revealing a red button. He pressed it and immediately began to zoom so fast it was as if he was in hyperspace. He looked around and saw that the hull of his scout was beginning to crack.  
  
"The shot from the fighter must have done it," he said to himself. Luck was in the air, because he was close enough to the ship to make a belly landing. He slowly moved his stick downward. The ship went up a few feet and he cleared the opening. He then slammed his foot on the brake and the ship skidded to a halt. He then ran out of his scout and made a beeline for the attack bomber. Attack bombers were better equipped for battle and wouldn't be damaged so easily. The guns on the sides of the wings have enough power to damage a Kushan Ion Cannon frigate, as they discharged not bullets like the other fighters but plasma. Marlow stepped into the bomber, closed the hatch, and started up. He pulled the throttle and the ship sped out of the hangar. He looked over at his radar and saw that the Morro was being overwhelmed by swarms of fighters. Suddenly, a message came over on his intercom:  
  
"All fighters, clear out the enemy swarmers. Attack bombers, take out the egg shaped vessels. We believe that they provide power to the swarmers. Over and out."  
  
Marlow flew in the direction of the egg ships. He saw they were being guarded by several swarmers. He locked on and fired his plasma rockets. Two of the swarmers fell and the rest engaged him. He fired several more times and the last of the swarmers retreated back to the needle ship. He then fired on the egg ship but its shields only fell a small amount. He pressed the green "reinforcements" button on his dashboard and several more attack bombers came to his aid. They focused on the egg ship and fired simultaneously. The ship exploded and they went on to the next one. The intercom flashed again. It was the Morro.  
  
"To all attack bombers. The plan to destroy the egg shaped vessels was a success. Those are the fuel pods for the entire squadron. Destroy them all and we can begin an attack on the enemy command ship."  
  
"You heard the commander," said Marlow to the other bombers. "Let's keep at it."  
  
They destroyed several more fuel pods when another message came over the intercom.  
  
"Quick. Make for the needle ship. All fighters and corvettes, engage."  
  
Marlow pulled his throttle and went toward the large blip on his radar. The needle ship was now in visual range. The Ion frigate that was called to aid in the battle was shooting straight at the front of the ship. Suddenly, the ship turned and bolted straight for the frigate. It rammed straight into it and destroyed it. The home base must've seen that as well for it backed away from the needle ship and attacked from a range. Marlow noticed the first squadron of interceptors attack the ship. They avoided the ion blasts that the ship was emitting and fired away. Marlow looked at the damage report for the ship and noticed that the blasts were not affecting it one bit. Then, the enemy ship opened up and released a full squadron of swarmers, swarmer corvettes (the tan ones) and fuel pods. They would have picked all the fighters off but they were outnumbered at least two to one. Then, the order was made for the attack bombers to engage. Marlow sped up and fired at the opening of the ship. The hull integrity went down significantly. He then relayed a message to the other attack bombers:  
  
"Everybody. Aim for the hangar when it's open. It causes more damage than you'll ever do on the outside."  
  
They seemed to have gotten the message, because they all fired at the hangar and didn't let up. Suddenly, the enemy ship began to crumble and burst. The squads of fighters and corvettes sped out as fast as they could as the enemy ship exploded behind them. 


	2. Chapter 2: The Doctor

Chapter 2  
  
Marlow sat in his quarters thinking about the past battle. Apparently, the ship belonged to a religious faction living in that nebula. They called the nebula The Garden of Kadesh. It was their holy sanctuary for about three thousand years. In fact, they are descendants of the exiles from the planet Hiigara. They left the rest of the convoy and made their home inside the nebula. Marlow beat his hand on the table. How could he go on like this? Killing innocent people just to strengthen the Imperialist group he belonged to. Not like it did any good, he thought. The last remnants of the old Taiidan Empire were gradually withering away. It would only be a matter of time before his group fell too. He suddenly stood up. He had had it up to his neck with killing for no reason. He was going to escape when the next battle began. He was sure of it.  
  
It was about a week later when the next battle was to begin. The target was the Garden of Kadesh. The entire Imperialist faction was to be there. They were to destroy the entire civilization and use the nebula for harvesting and base building. This time, Marlow chose to pilot an interceptor. It was the fastest ship he could use without getting caught. If he used a scout, they would surely be on to him, because scouts were not used for major battles like this one. So he got in his interceptor and sped out of the hangar. He emerged at the edge of the nebula. The battle had already started. He sped toward the main battle to look less conspicuous and just as he entered, he pulled a hard left and activated his boosters. Then, he set his ship to evasive tactics and whistled past the fighters and out of the battle. He knew there was a Hiigaran base in the direction he was going. It was about a day away. He set a course, but he knew that his ship would never make the trip. There was just not enough fuel. Still, he went on.  
  
Twelve hours later, it finally happened. His ship had been slowing down already, but finally, it sputtered and died. He was out of fuel. Quickly, he activated his distress beacon and relayed a message to whoever heard it.  
  
"This is Lieutenant Marlow. I am a Taiidan Imperialist and I wish to defect to the Republic. If anyone is out there, please help me."  
  
He transmitted this message several times before giving up. He sighed, thinking it was all for nothing, and he shut his eyes. It was getting a bit cold in there, and he sure was tired.  
  
Marlow woke up, or he thought he woke up. He wasn't quite sure. How long had I been asleep? He thought. Let's see, I remember the escape, and the message.  
  
He fell asleep again.  
  
Marlow woke up, for sure this time, in what he thought looked like a sickbay. His eyes adjusted and he could make out a computer, several beds like the one he was on, and a chair with a man sitting in it. The man went up to him and spoke.  
  
"Don't be frightened. We heard your signal."  
  
"Are you Hiigaran?" asked Marlow.  
  
"Yes," said the man. "This is Kiith Sjet support frigate 512, or, as we call it, the Nightingale. We found you and brought you with us."  
  
"Where are we?" asked Marlow. "Are we by the Garden of Kadesh?"  
  
"Heavens, no!" Exclaimed the man. "We are in the Hiigara system. We are orbiting the planet as we speak. I heard you wish to defect. We brought you here so you could enlist to our navy."  
  
"Thank you," said Marlow. "Your captain is very generous, helping an Imperialist like me."  
  
"I'm sure you're not as bad as you say," said the man. "By the way, my name is doctor Sjet. Gefrey Sjet."  
  
"And I am Lieutenant Marlow," said Marlow.  
  
And so began the adventure of a lifetime. 


	3. Chapter 3: The Mission

Chapter 3  
  
A few days later, Marlow was officially a member of the Kiith Sjet navy. For you readers who are unsure of what a Kiith is, it's a country. Hiigarans don't fight one another, but they are not united, save for the navy. The people's last names reflect what Kiith they are in. For example, the doctor's name is Gefrey Sjet. He belongs to Kiith Sjet. Get it? Anyway, Marlow was now a member of the Sjet branch of the navy. He was now the leader of a squad of interceptors called the Avengers. Now, Marlow was to report to the briefing room to get his first mission. He opened the doors to the room and entered. This room, he saw, was huge. The seats were full of ship captains, admirals, squadron leaders like himself, and at the center of the room was the High Admiral, leader of the Hiigaran navy. Marlow took his seat and waited. Finally, the High Admiral spoke.  
  
"As you know, the attacks on our space and our trade routes by raiders and Imperialists are increasing." He paused. "This does not only apply to us, but also to the Republic and to the Bentusi and the Galactic Council. The galaxy is slowly becoming a war zone and I fear that not only Hiigara, but also every domain controlled by the Galactic Council will fall if we don't take immediate action. Therefore, I, along with the other peaceful leaders of the galaxy, have declared war on the Imperialists and the Turanic Raider pirates. This mission will be called Operation: Galactic Cleansing. On the tables in front of you, a panel will emerge. Take it and read your individual missions. You may notice that this mission takes place all over the galaxy. That is because we hope to beat the enemy in a single battle. Good luck, and Godspeed."  
  
The officers all stood up and ran to their stations. Marlow ran to meet his squad. They were in their meeting room waiting for him. He stood in the center of the room and pulled out the panel. He pressed a button and a map appeared.  
  
"All right," said Marlow. "You may have heard that the entire Galactic Council has declared war on the pirates and Imperials. I'll tell you now that those rumors are true. Here's our mission plan."  
  
He pointed to an asteroid field on the edge of the map.  
  
"We are to strike here, at this asteroid belt. There will be other squads to assist us, so don't worry. Our mission is to clear the field of all resource collectors and controllers, as well as all cover fire. Then, we will dock with a carrier and be transported to a nearby planet, Saro Prime, and assist in the main battle. Let's go, everybody to your stations!"  
  
They ran to the hangar as fast as they could. The other pilots were busy taking off when they got there. One by one, they filed into their interceptors and took off. They watched as Hiigara got smaller and smaller in their rearview screens. They met up with a carrier and docked. The carrier then shut off all engines and entered hyperspace. It appeared a few minutes later in the asteroid field. The dock command was issued and the pilots ejected from the bottom of the ship. They made their way into the field as Marlow turned on the intercom.  
  
"Everybody, keep your eyes open. There's bound to be something here."  
  
The Avengers grouped together in a delta formation. They continued through the belt and suddenly, an alert came up on the radar. There was an enemy resource group in front of them. The Avengers broke formation and set their ships to aggressive tactics. They battered the ships and struck at their engines. Marlow shot one and it exploded. His squadmates shot the controller and it burst open. The remaining ships tried to retreat but the Avengers were too quick. They kept shooting and the last of the ships fell.  
  
"Good job," said Marlow. "Let's move on to another group."  
  
Suddenly, a squad of Imperial fighters appeared right on top of them. They fired and one of Marlow's squadmates exploded. He ordered them to break formation and fire. The battle was fierce. Marlow shot one and it exploded. One of the Imperials shot and destroyed one of his men. Luckily, the pilots were wearing space suits and could eject from their ships, so none died. Marlow destroyed another ship and soon all the Imperialists were defeated. Marlow called in for a rescue team to load the downed pilots back onto the carrier. Shortly after, the Avengers received word that the mission was a success. Most of the other squads ran into the same fate as the Avengers and they were ready to assist in the main battle of Saro Prime. 


End file.
